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BLM Congratulates UK's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for Seed Banking Flora
WASHINGTON, D.C. – BLM Director Bob Abbey today congratulated the United Kingdom's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in its milestone accomplishment of collecting, banking, and conserving 10 percent of the world’s wild plant species. For nearly ten years, the BLM has been a partner with Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Program in its native seed collection effort.
Created through this partnership, the Bureau’s Seeds of Success program played a large role in Kew’s ability to meet its goal on time and under budget. This nationwide seed-collecting network of teams has made over 8,500 wildland native seed collections to support the Native Plant Materials Development Program and simultaneously seed banked over 10 percent of the U.S. flora for future generations.
“The success of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank in seed banking 10% of the world’s flora is evidence of the positive outcomes realized through BLM’s partnership agreements,” Abbey said. “Not only is BLM leading a national effort to develop diversity and quantity in native plant materials for restoration and rehabilitation projects, but the agency is also shaping global conservation in the face of today’s environmental challenges.”
The BLM partners in its Seeds of Success program include Chicago Botanic Garden, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, North Carolina Botanical Garden, New England Wild Flower Society, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Greenbelt Native Plant Center, and Zoological Society of San Diego. Seeds collected are stored in the U.S. and England for long-term conservation, as well as short-term storage for the distribution of seeds to any researcher interested in working with native seed.
For more information about BLM's role in the Kew Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, select this link.
For more information about the Seeds of Success program, select this link.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
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